What Do I Know Anyway?

In reaction to U.S. news, some of my humble opinions:

1) Election of a new U.S. President: alright, Obama. Time for change in America, great!

2) California voters ban gay marriage just months after they allow the union of same-sex couples: California, have you lost your mind? Great work taking away human rights from nearly 18,000 families! Yeah, I’m being sarcastic. In a world of war, poverty, hunger, nuclear aggression, and troubled economies, this quote from the New York Times is a complete disgrace: "A total of $73 million was spent on the race there, a record for a ballot measure on a social issue." http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06ballot.html On a social issue? Sure, it's perfectly understandable that gay-marriage poses a greater threat to the future of our nation than budget cuts to our education system. Again, sarcasm. Did you know that gay marriage is legal in South Africa? It has been since 2006, and they are not spending $73 million dollars to reverse that decision. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6147010.stm

3) Citigroup to lay-off 36,000 employees. I’m starting to think Finance was a pretty inconvenient degree to graduate with after all.

4) Legislation stalls as Washington tries to figure out billion dollar auto-maker bailouts: Are you serious? How about, we use the money to invest in mass transit and infrastructure in cities across the country? Why is there even a debate to help companies that have lobbied for years to keep emissions standards low? California raised emissions standards to match China’s standard a few years back, and auto-makers had so much of a fit that they sued the state. Let’s keep in mind that China’s emissions standards are still among the lowest in the developed world. Get a grip Washington, let them fail; let us buy cars from auto-makers (namely foreign) with the foresight to create more efficient vehicles. Of course there will be a lot of jobs lost, but create new jobs in wind, solar, and renewable energies. Forget patriotism to the U.S. as a reason why you cannot buy a more efficient vehicle from another country. What about patriotism to a little place we call planet Earth? Remember that the SUVs of today, will be of little use in a world of dried up oil reserves, and 130 degree days. Best of luck to us all, that politicians in power understand the importance of moving our country forward, not pouring billions into old technology. Case in point...take a look at the next headline.

5) From MSNBC: Report predicts U.S. decline, Russia rise: “Global warming could be a boon to Russia while the U.S. could further decline the importance during the next two decades, says a U.S. intelligence report with predictions for the world in 2025.” These mistakes are already and will continue to yield dire consequences not only to the United States, but to the world. Wake up, stop living in denial, and make some changes.